Tips for getting your Shopify theme and store ready for Valentine's Day

For many Shopify stores, Valentine’s Day is one of the busiest times of the year, especially for merchants selling jewelry, custom gift baskets, hand-crafted chocolates, or other items that make great gifts.

With the big day quickly approaching, here are some ideas on how to make your Shopify theme and store something Valentine’s shoppers will fall in love with.

Paint it pink

To really show customers you’re in full Valentine’s Day mode, consider changing all or part of your store’s color scheme to pink or red. This approach can be especially effective for stores that offer products that are particularly well suited for Valentine’s Day gifts.

If you think switching the entire color scheme might be overboard for your store, consider just swapping out the color on your header or another single element to be a bit more in the Valentine’s Day spirit.

Another option is to redesign your banner images or sliders to feature pink or red backgrounds, heart shapes or V-day style imagery, while leaving the rest of your theme the same. Since pink and red are inherently rather bright colors, this can be a great way to draw attention to Valentine’s Day gift ideas, sales, content and special offers.

Another good option is to add some design accents to your logo, such as hearts or arrows or even turning it pink or red. If you’re not design savvy, you can often find freelancers to help out at affordable rates on sites such as Fiverr and UpWork. You can also find free stock images on sites like Pixabay or Pexels to use for your banners.

Curate collections

It’s important to make it easy for customers shopping for Valentine’s Day gifts to find the best options, so, consider creating a special curated collection of your best gifts to help guide the way. You could consider sorting the products featured in this collection further by recipient (“for him” or “for her”) and by price range.

Other approaches include adding a personal touch by offering “staff picks” or “our favorites” collections as well as grouping products in creative themes such as “Date Night Goodies” or “Sweet Tooth.”

Also, don’t forget that, while you might think that most Valentine’s Day gifts are being purchased by men for women, there are a multitude of other scenarios. Of course, women also buy gifts for husbands and boyfriends, and same-sex couples may buy for their partner as well. There are also those who buy for their kids, friends, family members,coworkers, teachers and maybe even their pets! This is a good point to keep in mind when promoting your products as Valentine’s Day gifts so you can be sure that everyone feels included and to remind shoppers that your products aren’t necessarily just for couples.

Content

Now is also a great time to focus on producing some quality content for your site with a Valentine’s Day emphasis. Good options might include blog posts or content pages with these topics:

Gift guides that suggest the best picks from your store for various recipients and price points.

Valentine’s Day celebration guides that suggest how your products might fit into a date night. You can also consider featuring other local businesses such as restaurants or other stores that your customers might like.

Locally-focused guides on what your town, Chamber of Commerce or merchant’s association is doing to promote Valentine’s Day shopping, such as special activities or sales.

Valentine’s Day lookbooks featuring high quality visuals of your products along with direct links to them.

Customer and staff profiles and how they celebrate Valentine’s Day using your products.

Content that spotlights a particular product and focuses on its features and what makes it a great Valentine’s Day gift.

Behind-the-scenes type content on how a particular Valentine's Day-related item you carry is made or sourced or why it was picked to be part of your inventory.

Gift cards

Don’t forget that gift cards are a great option for Valentine’s Day as well, especially for those last minute shoppers! Making use of Shopify gift cards does require being on the Pro plan or higher, but the added monthly cost can be worth it if revenue grows as a result of selling gift cards.

Once you’re up and running to sell gift cards, be sure to place links to the gift card pages prominently in your navigation. If you have space, make it a separate link in your main navigation, as well as in your footer.

Discount codes

Consider adding a Valentine’s Day discount code or coupon to your site, either as a general shop discount or one that the shopper will receive after signing up for your e-mail list. For example, you could add a message to your “promo bar” at the top of your site that offers “15% off for Valentine’s Day, use code: VDAY15 at checkout!”).

Make shopping easy

Be sure to make it easy for customers to find any deadlines for Valentine’s Day orders, which is especially key since Valentine’s Day is on a Sunday this year. Also keep in mind that, in the U.S., the day after Valentine’s Day is the President’s Day holiday, which could affect customers who order too late but are OK with a “belated” Valentine’s Day delivery.

Since many gift-givers will be last minute, it’s also a good time to consider offering expedited shipping if you don’t already. Be sure to price it accordingly and, if appropriate, include some extra margin in your fees since you will likely be very busy during the days leading up to Valentine’s Day. When considering the price you charge, keep in mind that last-minute shoppers are often willing to shell out some extra money to ensure delivery — and avoid the embarrassment of not having a gift.

This is another great opportunity for you to work in a mention of the gift card option, since these can be delivered immediately. This is especially true if you offer products that can’t be delivered in time for the holiday, such as personalized items.

Finally, to avoid any disappointment, be very clear on the exact dates and times of your order deadlines and if the delivery service you use is guaranteed or not.

Michael P. Hill

Michael P. Hill is a Shopify, Shopify theme, content marketing, digital marketing and product management expert based in Chicago. Follow him on Twitter at @michaelphill or connect on LinkedIn. While comments and feedback are always appreciated, Michael regrets that, due to the volume of inquires received, personal responses are not possible. For specific assistance or support with Out of the Sandbox themes, visit the help center.